Reading at Birklands

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Reading is at the heart of all that we do at Birklands.

Reading Progression

Early Reading

At Birklands, we follow the Rocket Phonics story-based Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme for Reception and Year 1 from Reading Planet. This programme is based on the progression of Letters and Sounds (2007) and provides a rigorous approach that combines engaging stories with in-depth phonics knowledge and skills.

The Rocket Phonics reading books, which are fully aligned with the SSP programme, are introduced to children when all the GPCs in a colour band have been taught and are used to provide our children with additional reading practice in school and at home.

Key Stage Two

We have purchased the Reading Planet reading books, which follow on from the scheme used in EYFS and KS1. During KS2, we aim to develop our children into confident, independent readers with 96 books covering Lime to Red+ book bands.

Fiction: Children will read books that capture their imaginations through classic and contemporary illustrated fiction.

Non-fiction: These books aim to spark curiosity and intrigue with fascinating content that supports study across the curriculum and taps into children’s interests.

100 Books to Read Before You Leave…

In addition to the colour-banded reading books, each of our four phases in school has a selection of 100 fiction books for children to choose from. Each child will be given a booklet displaying their texts which they can tick off during each two-year period at Birklands. The idea behind this approach is to foster a love of reading and an enjoyment of a wide-range of books. As these books may be above the instructional reading level for your child, we encourage you to read these texts with them and to benefit from the reading experience together. Certainly, for our more fluent readers and older pupils, this is an opportunity for them to explore an extensive range of authors and genres. These children will be expected to write a recommendation after they have read each book, or to discuss their book in class, which will influence their peers’ next book choice and create a ‘buzz’ for reading.

Click on the link below to find out more about our approach.

Reading at Birklands